New but smells of cigs and cologne like its been tried on?

[Earthling]

Am I being to fussy?
When I buy new, I like to think its new.
So...I buy a jacket for a few hundred and it arrives and smells like someone has tried it on and left cigarette and cheap cologne smell on the collar.
Sure it has tags...but definitely been tried on.
Send back? Wash?
Im not a happy camper...

[Earthling]

33 views and no reply...either a stupid question or a hard one...

[Strider]

Definitely send it back! Did you pay with Paypal?

[photohiker]

Is this an outdoor waterproof jacket or a dinner jacket?

Does it fit? If so, give it a dunk and get over it? It's a pain sending stuff back and forth, and it'll smell a whole lot worse than cheap cologne and cigarette smoke after the first trip.

[matagi]

Why would you not expect it to have been tried on?

Items in stores have often been tried on by others and if it came from a private seller maybe they tried it on at home and decided they didn't like it?
How was it advertised?

[Dale]

Am I being to fussy?
So...I buy a jacket for a few hundred and it arrives and smells like someone has tried it on and left cigarette and cheap cologne smell on the collar.

Personally I will only tolerate the smell of expensive cologne and Cuban cigars on my new hiking gear.

[Drifting]

send it back! Yuck!

[Earthling]

Thanks for the replies

...Send it back or get over it...sending it back is a pain in the butt...

Ive emailed the mob and will see what their reply is tomorrow.

I just hate paying $316 for a jacket that stinks that I have to wash to get somebody elses funk out of...its from a 'cottage' factory, not a retail store.

I remember reading somewhere that everytime you wash down you lose some of its loftness/warmth..is that correct?

[clarence]

A hard overnight walk with some rain, sweat and a smoky fire and the other smells will be long gone. I'd be a bit cranky, but if it is well made and what you want I think I'd live with it.

[Earthling]

A hard overnight walk with some rain, sweat and a smoky fire and the other smells will be long gone. I'd be a bit cranky, but if it is well made and what you want I think I'd live with it.

Yeah Im coming around to that way of thinking...might just give the collar area a wipe with a cloth and some soap and see how it ends up....

Worst thing is I dont use fragrance at all and after a while I find most fragrances stink, cheap cologne and cig smoke being the worst...reformed smoker to boot

Oh and its a Down jacket so no walking in the rain...

[corvus]

Interesting the complancy of some members if this item was sold as new I would like you expect it to arrive in "pristine" condition so go ahead and ask the question.
I find this hard to say not being a native born Australian (just a newby of 44 years residence) but in my opinion we Australians just dont complain enough about poor service or quality the "she will be right" attitude may have worked in the past when we were so far away from everything , but now I think we should not accept anything other than the best ,I always said to my customers " there was nothing wrong with your dollars so the products I sell you must be as good" so I believe you are well within your rights to a full refund or replacement .
And as a reminder to all it is the squeaky wheel that gets the oil
corvus

[matagi]

Yeah Im coming around to that way of thinking...might just give the collar area a wipe with a cloth and some soap and see how it ends up....

Worst thing is I dont use fragrance at all and after a while I find most fragrances stink, cheap cologne and cig smoke being the worst...reformed smoker to boot

Oh and its a Down jacket so no walking in the rain...

Hang it in a well ventilated spot to air for a while as well - that should help dissipate the smells too.

[tasadam]

Any other jacket and I'd wash it and learn from the mistake of using that retailer.
But a Down jacket, I would send back for them to clean or replace.

[ninjapuppet]

I always wash my new clothes before wearing them as I dont like the smell of fresh fabric on me. However I dont wash my new sleeping bags or down clothing, so I certainly wouldnt want any smell on them either.

Was the supplier an Australian Based retailer? Cheap and easy if they're Australina based, but otherwise sending goods back overseas might not be worth the cost if they dont provide free return postage. If its a good quality jacket that functions well, it might be more cost effective to just buy some down wash

[Strider]

I always wash my new clothes before wearing them as I dont like the smell of fresh fabric on me. However I dont wash my new sleeping bags or down clothing, so I certainly wouldnt want any smell on them either.

Was the supplier an Australian Based retailer? Cheap and easy if they're Australina based, but otherwise sending goods back overseas might not be worth the cost if they dont provide free return postage. If its a good quality jacket that functions well, it might be more cost effective to just buy some down wash

At minimum the supplier should provide the down wash. But without the suppliers input, speculation on how to deal with the matter is impossible.

[Earthling]

Recieved email reply:
"Thank-you for bringing this to our attention, the Ultra pullover was made from scratch specifically for you so has not been tried on by another customer. Smoking is banned indoors in the workplace in the UK so it can not have been exposed to any cigarette smoke. A few of our workers do smoke however this is done outdoors but a very faint smell could have come from them handling the garments, although we have never come across this problem before. The down can smell slightly from the cleaning process however if you air the garment on a hanger or outside for a while the smell should disappear."

[ninjapuppet]

sounds like they're trying to fob you off in my opinion. I think its in your right to name this supplier

[Earthling]

Yes a definet fob off. Its PHD in the UK.

[Miyata610]

Why not just try airing it out for a week or so and see if it's ok?

[gayet]

Perhaps not exactly a fob off although it does sound it. They have given some suggestions for how the smell came about and indicated this is the first such complaint, so it is not surprising that they don't have a well crafted response to keep all happy.

I acknowledge that I have bought a couple of things from PHD, and iirc, I recommended them to you. I have found no issues with smells, nor quality.

Contact them again and request a definite action - replacement at no cost, with return mail paid, provision of cleaning solutions, information of plans to prevent this from happening again. Whatever you want as a resolution to the problem, ask and start negotiating, rather than just voicing a complaint about their response. I don't know what your initial email said so it may be that they have provided a response they thought was apprpriate to what you asked. Tell them the problem - you have done so, ask for / negotiate as resolution. They aren't mind readers.

I am not suggesting anyone is in the right or wrong here, just suggeesting a way out of it.

[Earthling]

Contact them again and request a definite action - replacement at no cost, with return mail paid, provision of cleaning solutions, information of plans to prevent this from happening again. Whatever you want as a resolution to the problem, ask and start negotiating, rather than just voicing a complaint about their response. I don't know what your initial email said so it may be that they have provided a response they thought was apprpriate to what you asked. Tell them the problem - you have done so, ask for / negotiate as resolution. They aren't mind readers.
I am not suggesting anyone is in the right or wrong here, just suggeesting a way out of it.

I feel you are presuming a bit too much, which I know is fairly easy on the forums...

In the initial email I gave them the problem and asked them how to resolve it...reasonably fair I believe as it may be just a small error that can be fixed here, so I thought no use demanding immediate action of A, Y or Z.

I have aired the jacket and it is definetly better, how much better though I will have to tell you when I know my nostrils are working well after using an old mask to spray the trailer today... But, it looks like whilst it does have a slight perfume smell, it will idealy be from the cleaning process...

[gayet]

I feel you are presuming a bit too much, which I know is fairly easy on the forums...

In the initial email I gave them the problem and asked them how to resolve it...reasonably fair I believe as it may be just a small error that can be fixed here, so I thought no use demanding immediate action of A, Y or Z.

I have aired the jacket and it is definetly better, how much better though I will have to tell you when I know my nostrils are working well after using an old mask to spray the trailer today... But, it looks like whilst it does have a slight perfume smell, it will idealy be from the cleaning process...

Sorry I was trying not to presume anything - I did note that I didn't know what you had said in your initial email, and so I made assessments only on the response you quoted. I certainly hope they take your comments onboard and request that all smoking staff at least wash their hands well after a smoke to prevent this problem next time. They may also look at changing the cleaner used.
It sounds as though they gave an answer appropriate to your questions

I gave them the problem and asked them how to resolve it...

- and they suggested airing it well and provided the explanation of smoking workers and perfumed cleaner.

If your jacket loses its odour easily all will be well, apart from the disappointment that remains from such an incident. I hope the jacket exceeds your expectations in years to come to make up for it.